I really love the Freya Urban Echo Padded Plunge Bra I got a few weeks ago, and since then I've been searching for other styles in the same silhouette. While Soiree Lace doesn't come in my normal size of 28E, I decided to try the 30DD knowing the band would be too big, since I am willing to alter the band if necessary if I love the rest of the fit. Sadly, this is not the same fit as Urban Echo, as the cups are quite tall on this style.

This is a three piece plunge cup made from soft foam batting. The foam feels a ... bit thicker and puffier than on some other Freya padded styles, but is basically the same thickness. The measurements of the cup are overall quite similar, though Soiree Lace has a taller cup, which also ends up measuring wider since this is a plunge style. While the bottom of the cup fits me the same way that Urban Echo does, this just comes up too tall on my body, leaving the entire upper cup pretty empty. Furthermore, the taller cups are also cut higher at the sides, so they feel super high under my arm and chafe badly. So, the fit of this bra definitely isn't a dupe for Urban Echo, and doesn't work for me. I have tried quite a few other Freya styles recently designed for taller breast shapes (not just tall roots, which I have, but overall more vertical fullness), and I think this might work if those styles (Idol, Muse, Chi, Deco) work for you. I haven't tried Love Note yet, but I am pretty sure that it is also the same fit as this.

The band of the Soiree Lace measures in line with other Freya 30 bands, but I actually found it to be quite firm and not overly large on me so I marked the band as actually fitting. I would say this band is more true to size compared to other brands, so there is no need to size down to accommodate for Freya's typically too large bands. It is made from plain, firm powermesh, but I think the textured elastic used adds extra stability.

As far as the bra's quality goes, I don't like the feel of the materials or trims at all. The lace is a very thick, fuzzy nylon lace with a pillowy handfeel, not the thin, smooth lace I prefer. I think they chose this to imitate the look of a cotton lace, but I don't think it does this successfully. The bottom cup has a close set abstract geometric pattern, and the upper cup has a more open abstract geometric pattern. The straps are narrow but firm, as the elastic also has a geometric pattern knit into the upper layer of the elastic. Note that this texture makes the straps difficult to adjust, but they will stay in place as the texture does not slip. The bottom edge elastic has an open lattice pattern. The only trims are a little folded over ribbon at the strap attachment and gore, and a small gold half moon charm at the gore. Not my favorite, but not the weirdest from Freya. The main thing I don't like about the fabric is that the fuzzy lace looks and feels cheap to me, and I can see it snagging easily. The interior of the cups is also lined with poly rather than cotton, so this is not a bra for people who prefer the feel of natural fibers, and it doesn't have the cool handfeel of many other Freya bras that make them perfect for summer.

This isn't a bad bra, but the shape and materials aren't for me.
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Updated on Jun 17, 2020 Flag this